Tell me about your pots and pans

We have had two sets of pans from the Professional Cookware Company in 8 years, black with non-stick coating and glass lids. Coating came off within a few years of everyday use on both sets, outside got scratched when I stored them stacked up and the glass lids got chipped, since they did not have metal egdes round them and seem to chip easily. They looked awful quite soon. We returned the first set for an exchange, since they came with a 10-year guarantee, but with the second set we did not bother anymore and have gradually bought a lot of Le Creuzet and Tefal. Very happy with both and the coating in the Tefal frying pans does not come off at all.

you might like to try an iron simmering plate, it goes on the pan rests over the burner (I use gas) and aborbs the heat. You stand your pan on the iron disc, no matter what size. Also handy for gentle cooking of scrambled eggs, sauces, porage.

stainless frying pans are prone to stick, and there is nothing you can do about it. So the choice is between an iron one (don't wash it much, and never put it in the dishwasher) and a series of non-stick, where you buy a new one as the previous one wears out.

DP refuses to use the Le Creuset as it is too heavy for her.

Fat-bottomed, brushed stainless is great for all pans that you won't fry in.

I have a 5 pan set of Le Creuset we got as a wedding present 18 years ago, plus a big LeC frying pan I can no longer lift (hand disability), a small cast iron frying pan and a stove top steamer that was also a wedding present.

I love my LeC pots, I can't imagine using anything else!

Oh and we have a wok that was £3.50 in the Chinese Supermarket about the time we got married, it gets used at least once a week.

Mine are ten years old and still going strong. Plain, heavy stainless steel. Dishwasher safe. For the oven I've got one small and two large Le Creusets. I have a Prestige non-stick frying pan which I'm extremely precious about, and a really ancient Woolies one which DP is allowed to use.

Oh yes, the other advantage of Circulon is that they use them on Master Chef, so if you watch it, you can drive your family mad by shrieking "those are my pans!!!" every time you see them. Drives dd bonkers!

Circulon pans. I got some just over a year ago and they're as good as new still. Nothing sticks to them, they're not too heavy. They don't go in the dishwasher, and - depending which handles you get - they won't go in the oven. Having said that if you get the ones with metal handles then they will (and mine will but only up to 180C).

MoreBeta, I bought DH a copper butter pan for Christmas. We spent a good portion of the morning laughing at how tiny it is. It doesn't even fit on the hob properly, unless the hob in question is the one from DS's toy kitchen.

I dont know what brand mine are cos ive had them for about 12/13 years my nan got them from qvc. she has the same set (different colour) and both mine and hers are in excellent condition. how ever my mum got a set about 2 years ago and hers aint so good but the reason for that is bacause she puts tgem in the dish washer. teflon also doesbt like the dishwasher

Try looking at wholesale professional cookwear supplier sites like Nisbets and Russums as you wil find the prices much much cheaper than normal retail shops. They deliver to your door and the quality of the pans and equipment is professiuonal kitchen standard. Very hard wearing.

I like the Vogue range of cookwear which you can find at those links. Not too expensive and good quality. I know a catering college that exclusivley uses Vogue pans. Not a brand you will see in the shops but very good for the price. The de Buyer range of iron and steel cookware is also very good.

I confess to covetting a huge set of copper pans but at £50 for a tiny sauce pan it is beyond what DW will let me have.

The non stick coating is coming off my tefal pans. They were a wedding gift, so <thinks> 4 and a bit years old. I am not impressed. Also, they aren't oven safe, which has been a but if a PITA more than once.

I love my cast iron griddle pan, and we are slowly replacing the tefal pans with copper ones.